The Particulars

The Review

This review for the Definition Noir Connecticut (Purple Band) - Robusto Grande (5.5 x 54) is based on the journal entry dated 2025-07-14

Appearance & Construction (0-3):  Good (3)

It’s nice to see an Ecuadorian Connecticut leaf that doesn’t have that sickly yellowish color to it. This is a nice tannish, light brown with a light sheen and light mottling. The wrapper has a soft texture to it, but the cigar is firm. There are a number of veins, but they’re mostly thin and flat. The seams are tight and the triple cap is clean. I do love the intensity of the purple material used for the band. This cigar gets a little extra rustic treatment with a closed foot and pigtail cap.

Draw (0-3) & Burn (0-4):  Good (3) / Great (4)

The draw is spot on and the burn starts well. The ash is a light-to-medium gray with tight banding between the striations with some extra dark spots. The burn line is razor-sharp in the first third and holds that way through the end. The ash is nice and thiiiick. I took it past the first third and it fell in a very satisfying single clump when I ashed.

Flavor Profile (0-5):  Great (4)

Great flavor out of the gate. Heavy cinnamon and baking spice, strong toasty cedar, bits of earth, coffee, and a rich honey sweetness on the backend. Getting past the first inch, the sweetness ramps up and the cedar starts to evolve into breadiness, turning into a really nice honey cinnamon graham cracker combo. It develops extra pepper spice on the side with a base of slight musty barnyard and earth. There’s some really nice complexity and balance within the first third.

With the second third, the honey sweetness gets a citrusy zest to help cut it. I get hints of coffee and chocolate, but they’re really not the stars of the show here. It’s still an earth-heavy base with some light must, heavy baking spice, strong cinnamon, light leather, and toasted bready/woody notes with a sweet and creamy finish. Banger! 🔥

Unfortunately, I’m finding the pepper does target the soft palate and cuts the creaminess while bringing a little harshness. This isn’t the smoothest Connecticut, but it’s bringing a lot more flavor than you would expect, which is a happy trade-off. At the midpoint, I started getting a bit of the bitterness I associate with Ecuadorian Connecticuts, particularly when paired with Nicaraguan tobacco in some blends. Still a fantastic flavor profile, but there was just enough harshness and bitterness that appeared in the last third that it knocked it down from a perfect score.

Overall Experience (0-5):  Great (4)

This is a fantastic “I don’t like Connecticuts” blend. There’s plenty of robust flavor, spice, and complexity to satisfy most palates here. It strikes me as a great morning or hot weather smoke for people who prefer full-strength cigars. With the breadiness and creamy finish, it’s your morning cereal, so bring a strong cup of coffee to pair with it.

Review Base Rating (0-5):

4.50

Would I Buy It Again?

Signs point to yes (recommended)

Review Final Score (0-10):

8.83

Overall Score and Individual Journal Entries

While the review is based off one instance of journaling this cigar; there’s a number of reasons you can have different experiences smoking the same cigar multiple times. A blend can evolve with age (for better or worse), palates evolves, preferences change, and sometimes you just get a bad example!  This section captures the ratings from each journal entry and the related journal photo.  Below you’ll find an aggregate score based on every time the cigar has been journaled. Unless it was a gift or on-off smoke, this section will be updated every time I journal this cigar!

The Flavor Wheel

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.